Debbie Bliss Fez.

Say hello to Fez, another of this week's discounted Debbie Bliss yarns.

Fez is an aran weight blend of merino wool and camel, which knits up at about 4.5 stitches per inch on US size 8 needles. While Anne knit a hat in Debbie Bliss Como, I picked a simple textured cowl from the Debbie Bliss Fez pattern booklet, and the color I always reach for first: gray.

I was delighted by this yarn, found it soft to the touch and easy to work with. There's plenty of cozy looking sweater patterns in the Fez booklet, and a multitude of uses for the yarn besides. Check out the yarn as well as the booklet when you're in the shop this week for our Going-to-Market sale. Curious about the other discounted Debbie Bliss yarns? Find the full list here.

Just a reminder--all sales are final on sale items; there can be no exchanges, no returns, nor will we special order. Thanks!

Jane Austen Knits, 2012.

Interweave has published another edition of Jane Austen Knits magazine, which features a wide variety of knitting projects inspired by the writings of Jane Austen.

This issue is packed with projects, including socks, shawls, sweaters, tea cozies, bonnets, bags, book-covers, and fingerless mitts. And probably even more. Take a look:

Come by the shop to snatch a copy of Jane Austen Knits.

Debbie Bliss Como.

Allow me to introduce you to one of the Debbie Bliss yarns we'll have on sale come Tuesday: here's Como.

Debbie Bliss Como is a super-bulky blend of merino wool and cashmere. Como is a soft, squishy, single-ply yarn that comes in a nice range of solid colors, and it knits up incredibly quickly at 2.5 stitches per inch on a US size 15 needle. How quickly? In a mere 2 hours, Anne knit this hat holding Como together with Berroco Jasper.

The self-striping Jasper adds color interest, giving the hat a tweedy look. The pattern is available as a free download on Ravelry--click here to take a peek. Free pattern, discounted yarn, quick knitting... win-win-win.

Come by the shop this coming week, between Tuesday May 29th and Sunday June 3rd, to get Debbie Bliss Como at a 25% discount. If super-bulky yarns aren't your cup of tea, rest assured, there are a wide variety of Debbie Bliss yarns on sale this week--click here to see the full list. See you at the shop!


Just a reminder--all sales are final on sale items; there can be no exchanges, no returns, nor will we special order. Thanks!

Going-to-Market sale! Week 1.

An exciting sale is coming up at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, as you might have read in our most recent email newsletter. Once again, we prepare to go to TNNA's Summer NeedleArts Market in Columbus to meet with distributors and select new yarns for the fall. It's an exciting time, but it means we must make some room for all the new yarns! During the first three weeks of June, we'll have select yarns at a 25% discount, with a different yarn company featured each week. Last year these were surprise one-weekend sales, but this year, we thought we'd give you all a head start. 

Tuesday May 29th - Sunday June 3rd: Select Debbie Bliss yarns are 25% off!

• Alpaca Silk Aran
• Alpaca Silk DK
• Cashmerino Aran
• Cashmerino Astrakhan
• Cashmerino DK
• Cashmerino Chunky
• Cashmerino Superchunky
• Como
• Donegal Aran Tweed
• Donegal Chunky Tweed
• Fez
• Pure Cashmere
• Pure Cotton
• Pure Silk
• Soho
• Stella

Come by the shop between Tuesday May 29th and Sunday June 3rd to get these Debbie Bliss yarns at a 25% discount. We'll have select Debbie Bliss pattern books at a discount, too. There are so many wonderful yarns on that list that lend themselves to a wide variety of projects. Anne and I have each cast on with one of these yarns this week--more on that soon. In the meantime, ready yourself for three weeks of Going-to-Market sales!

Tuesday June 5th - Sunday June 10th: Select Berroco yarns (Cotton Twist, Inca Gold, Jasper, Latitude, Linen Jeans, NaturLin, Pure Merino, Pure Pima, Touche)

Tuesday June 12 - Sunday June 17th: Select Ella Rae, Katia, Louisa Harding, and Noro yarns (Ella Rae Bamboo & Silk, Ella Rae Classic Wool, Katia Irish Tweed, Louisa Harding Albero, Louisa Harding Kashmir DK, Louisa Harding! Kimono Ribbon, Louisa Harding Rosetti, Noro Bonbori, Noro Hotaru, Noro Kureyon Sock, Noro Maiko, Noro Niji, Noro Silk Mountain)

Just a reminder--all sales are final on sale items; there can be no exchanges, no returns, nor will we special order. Thanks!

P.S. Didn't get the newsletter in your inbox? Don't miss the next one--sign up on our website for an unobtrusive monthly email that lets you know about upcoming classes, events, and sales like this one!

Bluestocking. Again.

Last week, we got another bunch of String Theory Bluestocking in another bunch of gorgeous colors.

This weekend, I finally cast on for a pair of Bluestocking socks, anxious to get my hands on a kind of wool I'd never tried before: bluefaced leicester. I chose a pattern from Clara Parkes' Knitter's Book of Socks, called Hickory, with a barklike ribbing down the leg and instep. The whole leg was done in three evenings, which is how I know I love both the yarn and the pattern.

Come by the shop to take a closer look at the Knitter's Book of Socks, where there are 200+ pages of serious sock knitting inspiration, and to admire the String Theory Bluestocking. See you at the shop!

Creative Knitting.

The July 2012 issue of Creative Knitting is here.

This issue is full of cardigans, shawls, vests, and lightweight tops, with a bag, a necklace, and a pillow thrown in for good measure.

Come by the shop to take a closer look at Creative Knitting and a whole stack of other spring and summer magazines.

Be Sweet shawl kits.

Many a visitor to the shop has been wooed by the Be Sweet shawl kits. The sample shawl and scarf that hang by the kits are feather-light and translucent, but made of a textured mohair yarn in thick, bold stripes--qualities that seem to contradict one another, and thus, entrance. It's simplicity, too, is appealing, for after all, it's just garter stitch. 

Each kit comes with a pattern and five 25 gram balls of the lace-weight Be Sweet Extra Fine Mohair yarn, enough to make one striped shawl or two striped scarves. They're neatly tucked into a Hillsborough Yarn Shop notions pouch, making them an ideal gift for a knitter.

This past week, many missing colorways were replenished, filling the basket with tempting options, making it harder to decide which one you'll take home. Come by the shop to see them all.

Wearwithall.

A new book, recommended by a friend, has arrived at the shop.

Wearwithall is a collection of patterns by the people at The Yarnery, a yarn shop in Saint Paul, MN. The book has a nice range of projects, including hats, socks, sweaters for babies and children as well as adults, and an eye-catching striped stole.

This stole, designed by Theresa Gaffey, is made from the exquisite Isager Alpaca 2 yarn, a fingering weight blend of wool and alpaca. Its construction is simple, letting the brightest colors from the muted Isager palette do the talking.

Take a closer look at Wearwithall next time you're in the shop. Be sure to visit the Alpaca 2 as well, and as you do, just imagine curling up in a cozy Alpaca 2 stole. Hard to resist, no?

Local Color Hues.

A brand new batch of roving for spinning and felting has just arrived at the shop, hand-dyed by local fiber artist Lorin Fields. 

This 100% merino roving from Local Color Hues is buttery soft, and comes in super-saturated semisolid colorways. I'm not a spinner, myself, but these are extremely tempting little bundles of fiber nonetheless. I imagine that it would be a pleasure to work with, and could be transformed by a spinner into some really special yarn.

Come by the shop to see Local Color Hues roving up close. You'll find it tucked in the Local Yarns corner, next to wool roving from Brightside Wool.

Pop Knitting.

An inspiring new book has landed at the shop. Pop Knitting: Bold Motifs Using Color and Stitch, by Britt-Marie Christoffersson is a collection of graphic, modern-looking stitch patterns.

Christoffersson combines color and texture in surprising ways, making the book itself a thing of beauty.

The sweaters shown alongside many of these motifs make use of them in beautiful and often pleasantly strange garments. The results are fascinating and exciting, whether they appeal to your personal taste or not.

Come to the shop to take a closer look at Pop Knitting; you're sure to find some inspiration there.

Interweave Knits.

A new issue of Interweave Knits has graced our teacart once again.

Take a peek inside the Summer 2012 issue of Interweave Knits:

Come by the shop to snag a copy.

Hello, Ewe Ewe.

Once again, Clara Parkes inspired us with a recent Knitter's Review. She never fails to peak our interest. Sometimes it's a tool, sometimes a book--this time, it's yarn, from a new company called Ewe Ewe.

Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted Washable is a squishy, soft yarn which is well described by its alliterative name. With 95 yards of machine-washable merino wool in each 50 gram ball, Wooly Worsted Washable is an excellent choice for accessories and baby things.

The color palette is limited but vibrant, and the pattern support makes good use of it in stripes and colorwork.

This yarn is a pleasure to knit with, with brilliant stitch definition and a springy texture. "It knits itself," Anne has often remarked since Ewe Ewe's arrival, and she should know. This baby hat was completed in less than 24 hours, with enough yarn left over to make another with the colors inverted.

Come by the shop to pet Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted Washable, and remember it for baby- and gift-knitting. Find it on the teacart, and find Ewe Ewe patterns in our recently reorganized pattern binders.

Hello, Bluestocking.

Surprise, surprise: I have some new yarn from String Theory to share. Say hello (again) to Bluestocking, a soft, sturdy fingering weight yarn composed of 80% Bluefaced Leicester wool and 20% nylon.

If it seems like we're ordering from String Theory weekly, it's because we are. Anne and I love this yarn, and it's clear you all do, too, at the rate it's disappearing from our shelves! While Caper Sock has been ordered and reordered several times, we hadn't shown the same love to Bluestocking until this past week.

Anne started a pair of Bluestocking socks, couldn't keep her hands off them, and suddenly we were on the phone with the wonderful people at String Theory Hand Dyed Yarn, in Blue Hill, Maine. Much to Anne's dismay, I suggested we start small, to the tune of six colors. When we sold half of them on the day they arrived, it was clear that I was wrong and Anne was right: Hillsborough Yarn Shoppers have enough love for both Caper Sock and Bluestocking. We ordered more.

I've got a skein of the stuff waiting for me at home, and it is torture not to cast on immediately. Care to torture yourself in a similar fashion? Come by the shop and witness the glory of all of String Theory's yarns. See you there!